US experience snapped up by locals
18 March, 2003 by Jeremy TorrIn a flurry of recent announcements, ex-Pfizer scientific director Kevin Fahey has been appointed to the boards of three local set-ups.
Confronting the big picture
13 March, 2003 by Melissa TrudingerAccording to Bob Horvitz, along with Sydney Brenner and John Sulston one of the winners of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine, there are four big-picture problems confronting biologists today.
The lowdown on high-profile science
13 March, 2003 by Melissa TrudingerFrom institutes with fewer than 100 staff to the CSIRO with several thousand, the vast majority of Australia's life scientists are employed by research institutes. Among the dozens of research institutes found across the country are numerous internationally renowned centres of scientific excellence like the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI), small focused institutes like Melbourne's Bionic Ear Institute and government-owned agricultural institutes like the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI).
Going the extra yard
12 March, 2003 by Melissa HulbertProf Peter Rowe, the current Lorimer Dods Professor and Director of the Children's Medical Research Institute (CMRI), Westmead, NSW, is gearing up for his final few years in this position.
Carr pledges millions to health research in election promises
12 March, 2003 by Jeremy TorrIf Labor is re-elected to office in NSW on March 22 it will create a new State Minister for Science and Medical Research, and would also set up a new cancer institute, Premier Bob Carr has announced.
Dollars, cents and science
11 March, 2003 by Graeme O'NeillWith apologies to Kermit, TV's most famous amphibian, it's sometimes easier being green. In the perennial quest for funding, those Australian research institutes with ivy on their walls are doing best.
Research's survival of the thriftiest
11 March, 2003 by Jennie SouthgateSome of the laboratory managers at Sydney's Centenary Institute are concerned that one of the more challenging aspects of their role is about to get harder. The Federal government's Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR), which issues licenses and certification to research institutes working with genetically modified organisms, has proposed introducing charges to recover its running expenses. If this happens, the research institute will have to bear the cost. "It would be a whole new area of funding which would have to come out of the institute's infrastructure budget because it would not be allowed for in other areas of funding," says Dr Nick Pearce, the institute's business development manager.
Shareholders bolster Polartechnics' coffers
07 March, 2003 by Pete YoungInstitutional shareholders in Polartechnics have tipped another $AUD3.63 million into the medical devices company, buoyed by the belief it is on the threshold of commercial viability.
IDT boosts profit on 26% revenue gain
05 March, 2003 by Melissa TrudingerA revenue increase of 26 per cent has helped Melbourne-based Institute of Drug Technology (IDT) push its net profit up nine per cent to $AUD2,077,053 in the half year ending December 31, 2002.
Iatia CEO looks to expand markets and development
04 March, 2003 by Melissa TrudingerMelbourne-based imaging technology developer Iatia is positive about the prospects of the company despite low cash reserves, CEO Brian Powell said today.
Xcell to complete Visiomed acquisition
26 February, 2003 by Melissa TrudingerPerth based devices company Xcell Diagnostics will finalise its acquisition of German company Visiomed this week, propelling Xcell into a leading position in skin cancer diagnostic instrumentation.
Leaner, meaner Amrad refocuses on R&D
21 February, 2003 by Melissa TrudingerMelbourne-based drug discovery company Amrad has rationalised its R&D portfolio, the company announced yesterday, with a renewed focus on five projects in the development and pre-clinical stage.
Mass spec and the soft cell
19 February, 2003 by Graeme O'NeillIf mass spectrometry didn't exist, biologists would surely have had to invent it. Mass spectrometry has put the pep into peptide sequencing -- there's no quicker nor more accurate way of doing it.
New maternity leave scheme aims to correct gender imbalance
17 February, 2003 by Melissa HulbertMonash University is to begin offering maternity leave grants to encourage academics to return to their careers.
Promising faster returns could be dangerous, bio-IT expert warns
13 February, 2003 by Pete YoungDrug development companies are dipping into dangerous waters by trying to persuade investors that the industry can achieve the same improvements in product cycle times delivered by other manufacturing industries, warns US-based bio-IT specialist Dan Stevens.
